Is C Drive Full? - 13 Effective Ways to Free Up C Drive Space

Why is my C drive full without reason? How to fix with the full C drive effectively? How can I free up my system disk space? Which files can I delete from system disk without affecting the operation of system? How can I find the location of junk files? If you are confused about these problems, you are here in the right place! In this post, we will walk you through thirteen effective ways to free up space on C drive. Let's continue reading for more details.

Way 1: Delete the temporary files (dramatically)

The temporary files in Windows are created to hold data temporarily which can be deleted directly without any influence. They are typically located in the following two directories:

C:\Windows \Temp
C:\Users \%userprofiles% \AppData \Local \Temp

The former is created by Windows operating system while the latter is created by the user when running any software, which is a hidden folder in File Explorer. As the computer is used for a longer time, the temporary files will occupy more and more space on system disk. It is recommended to delete the two folders mentioned above regularly to clear your C drive space.

Way 2: Delete or move the download files on C drive (dramatically)

Typically, the files downloaded from most software like browser and cloud drive are saved on C drive by default and even you may not notice this. To free up space on system disk, you can delete the useless files and move the useful files to other drives. Additionally, you can also set the file download directory to other drives to avoid this trouble. The download files are typically saved in the following directory: C:\Users \%userprofiles% \Downloads. Other download files of some software are saved in a different location on C drive and you can find them out on the download settings of software and then sort them out.

Way 3: Clean up the browser's cache

A large amount of browser cache is also one of the reasons why the C drive is full. There are two ways to clean up the browser's cache. On one hand, you can press Ctrl + Shift+ Delete simultaneously in any browser to open a Clear browsing data window and then you can clean the browsing data as you like. On the other hand, you can clean them up in the File Explorer. The locations in File Explorer of some browsers' cache are listed as follows. I recommend you to clean the cache data via browser to avoid making mistakes.

Chrome:

C:\Users\%userprofiles%\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Cache

Firefox:

C:\Users\%userprofiles%\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox

Internet Explorer:

C:\Users\%userprofiles%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\CacheStorage

Way 4: Delete old Windows log files (dramatically)

Windows log files are system information files which are produced by operating system and other programs to record vital system operations and notable errors and monitor the events in the system. This kind of files will take up more and more space on C drive over time. You can navigate to the following directory in File Explorer: C:\Windows\Logs\CBS. Then you can delete these two kinds of files: CbsPersist_xxx.log and CbsPersist_xxx.cab. "xxx" refers to the generation time of log files. It is recommended that you keep the log files of last two months.

Way 5: Delete Windows upgrade files

There is a folder called SoftwareDistribution on system disk that stores temporary files during Windows Updates. One of the sub-directories named Download is to store the patch files which are useless after Windows upgrading. You can navigate to the following directory and delete the old files and folders.

C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download

Tips: It would be better to save the files and folders of last six months. It is recommended to enable the feature of upgrading and delete these files after upgrade is completed.

Way 6: Move the Package Cache folder (dramatically)

If your c drive is full, it might be because package cache takes up too much space. In Windows system, there is a folder named Package Cache in the directory of C:\ProgramData\Package Cache. The size of this folder is various and even it can take up over 10GB. It is not recommended to delete or move directly because it will affect the operation of computer. However, you can move it and then create a symbolic link by mklink command. This way will have no effect on computer. Firstly, you need to cut this folder to the new destination as you like (except C drive). Then run cmd as administrator. Finally type mklink /J "C:\ProgramData\Package Cache" "%new destination%" and press Enter. As shown in the following figure (new destination is D:\Package Cache).

Way 7: Disable the System Restore

System Restore is a feature that allows the user to revert the computer's state to that of a previous point in time, which can be used to recover from system malfunctions or other problems. However, this feature will take up lots of space so you can disable it if it is needless for you. If you are worried about the pitfalls of disabling system restore, it is recommended for you to use some useful backup software such as CloneGO to backup system and C drive. Here are the steps to disable the system restore.

• Step 1: Open Control Panel window and click System-> System protection.
• Step 2: Select C Drive and click Configure button.
• Step 3: Select the option Disable system protection and click OK.

Way 8: Move Pagefile to other drive (dramatically)

Virtual memory (Pagefile) is a reserved portion of hard disk that used as an extension RAM when it runs out of physical memory. Typically, its size is as large as the size of physical memory and it is not recommended to disable virtual memory especially in the case of insufficient physical memory. However, you can move it to other drive to clean up C drive. Here are the steps to move pagefile to other drive.

• Step 1: Open Control Panel window and click System-> Advanced system settings-> Advanced tab-> Settings button in Performance section-> Advanced tab-> Change
• Step 2: Uncheck the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives option. Click C Drive-> Select No paging file option-> Click Set.
• Step 3: Click D drive (the drive you want to save pagefile) ->Select System managed size (you can also select Custom size and customize the size as you like) ->Click Set ->Click OK.

Way 9: Disable hibernation (dramatically)

The hibernation file (hiberfil.sys) is a file used by operating system to save the state as part of hibernation process. It is stored on system disk by default, whose size is usually as large as your physical memory size. If you don't need this feature, you can disable it to free up C drive space. Firstly, run Command Prompt as administrator. Then type powercfg.exe /hibernate off in Command Prompt window and press Enter. Finally, the hibernation file will disappear automatically from C drive.

Notes: Hibernation file is a hidden and protected operating system file. You can't view it as usual and delete it directly in File Explorer.

Way 10: Empty Recycle Bin

Emptying Recycle Bin is an easy but effective way to clean up C drive. All the files we have deleted are still saved in Recycle Bin making it accessible to restore files. The deleted files in Recycle Bin are saved in C drive by default. If you haven't emptied the Recycle Bin for a long time, it's time for you to empty it. All you have to do is right-click the Recycle Bin icon on desktop and select Empty Recycle Bin option in the context menu. That's all. At last, you will find that the full C drive has released lots of space.

Tips: You can right-click the Recycle Bin and click Properties to open Recycle Bin Properties window. Here you can change the Recycle Bin location to other drive and custom maximum size. Then the deleted files in Recycle Bin won't be saved in C drive.

Way 11: Tidy up your desktop

Maybe you have the habit of dropping the files to desktop. By default, the files on desktop are saved on system disk. So, it is advisable for you to sort out the files on desktop and move them to other drives. Additionally, you can also change the location of desktop to other drives so that when you drop the file to desktop, it won't take up space on C drive.

Way 12: Remove the Adobe cache files

If you have installed Adobe software like Photoshop and Premiere and used for a period of time, a large amount of cache files will be generated on C drive by default. You can delete them directly in File Explorer without any impact. They are saved in the following directories:

C:\Users\%userprofiles%\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Common\Media Cache Files
C:\Users\%userprofiles%\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Common\Media Cache
C:\Users\%userprofiles%\AppData\Local\Adobe\CameraRaw\Cache

Tips: You can also change the location of Adobe cache files by opening the software and changing it in the settings. As shown in the below figure.

Way 13: Move Swtools folder to other drives

This way is aimed to Lenovo laptops. Swtools folder is related to Lenovo Solution Center program, which is stored on C drive and it is highly recommended not to delete. For such kind of large folder on C drive, we can deal with it by mklink command. The detailed steps can refer to Way 6 above.

Bottom Line

The above are the effective ways to free up C drive space when C drive is full. After I tried all the methods mentioned above, my system disk has freed up about 20 GB of space, which varies from different computers. Besides, you can also use other methods like using a third-party tool such as System Genius to clear your C drive space. It is a multi-functional utility designed to speed up and optimize your Windows computer. It is so convenient that you just need one click to clear C drive space with it instead of cleaning up step by step according to the above methods. Don't hesitate to have a try!

Download: System Genius